Standard Lemma guide

container

noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /kənˈteɪ.nə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /kənˈteɪ.nəɹ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • India, North: /kənˈʈeː.nə(r)/
  • India, South: /ˈkən.ʈej.nə(r)/
  • rhymes with -eɪnə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N T EY1 N ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Someone who contains; something that contains.

An item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone who contains; something that contains.

A very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cargo container, shipping container

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone who contains; something that contains.

Someone who holds people in their seats or in a (reasonably) calm state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Someone who contains; something that contains.

A file format that can hold various types of data.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: file format

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: container format

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Someone who contains; something that contains.

An abstract data type whose instances are collections of other objects.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: object-oriented programming

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Someone who contains; something that contains.

Any user interface component that can hold further (child) components.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Someone who contains; something that contains.

A web container.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: Java programming language

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

Someone who contains; something that contains.

A bundle consisting of operating system, application code and dependencies to be run sandboxed inside a virtualized environment; (by extension) the environment itself.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: cloud computing

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: software container

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Someone who contains; something that contains.

A type of cryptic device where one word is inserted into another.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: crosswording

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: instrumentality, instrumentation

Narrower terms: bag, handbag, pocketbook, purse, basket, handbasket, bin, bowl, pipe bowl, box, bread-bin, breadbox, bunker, can, tin, tin can, canister, cannister, capsule, cargo container, case, display case, showcase, vitrine, cassette, cup, cylinder, dice cup, dice box, dish, dispenser, drawer, Dumpster, empty, envelope, glass, drinking glass, grab bag, magnetic bottle, mailer, manger, trough, measure, mold, mould, cast, package, parcel, pan, pod, fuel pod, pot, flowerpot, powder horn, powder flask, receptacle, reliquary, saltcellar, savings bank, coin bank, money box, bank, scuttle, coal scuttle, shaker, spoon, storage ring, thimble, time capsule, vessel, wastepaper basket, waste-paper basket, wastebasket, waste basket, circular file, watering can, watering pot, wheeled vehicle, workbasket, workbox, workbag

History

Etymology

From Middle English conteyner, equivalent to contain + -er.

Across languages

Translations

164 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: conteneur — someone who contains; something that contains
  • Hungarian: tároló — someone who contains; something that contains
  • Persian: ظرف — someone who contains; something that contains
  • Slovene: vsebnik — someone who contains; something that contains
  • Armenian: տարա (tara) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Armenian: անոթ (anotʻ) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Assamese: টেমা (tema) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Assamese: বৈয়াম (boiam) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Bashkir: һауыт (hawıt) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Bulgarian: съд (sǎd) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Catalan: contenidor — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Cherokee: ᎠᏟᏍᏙᏗ (atlisdodi) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Chinese Mandarin: 容器 (róngqì) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Danish: beholder — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Dutch: bak — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Esperanto: ujo — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Estonian: mahuti — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Finnish: säiliö — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Finnish: astia — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • French: récipient — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • French: contenant — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Galician: contedor — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Georgian: კონტეინერი (ḳonṭeineri) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Georgian: საცავი (sacavi) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Georgian: სათავსი (satavsi) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Georgian: ჭურჭელი (č̣urč̣eli) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • German: Behälter — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • German: Behältnis — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • German: Gefäß — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Greek: δοχείο (docheío) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Ancient Greek: σκεῦος (skeûos) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Ancient Greek: ἀγγεῖον (angeîon) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Ancient Greek: ἄγγος (ángos) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Hindi: पात्र (pātra) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Hindi: डिब्बा (ḍibbā) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Hungarian: tartály — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Hungarian: tartó — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Irish: coimeádán — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Irish: soitheach — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Irish: árthach — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Irish: gabhdán — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Italian: contenitore — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Italian: recipiente — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Japanese: 容器 (yōki) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Khmer: ធុង (thung) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Korean: 그릇 (geureut) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Korean: 용기 (yonggi) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Lao: ຈອກ (chǭk) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Latin: vās — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Latin: receptaculum — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Latin: capsa — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Latin: olla — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Latvian: tvertne — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Māori: tokanga — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Mongolian: сав (sav) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Nepali: भाँडा (bhā̃ḍā) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Norwegian: beholder — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Old English: fæt — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Persian: کانتینر (kânteyner) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Persian: فراهمشلان — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Plautdietsch: Behelta — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Plautdietsch: Jefäss — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Polish: pojemnik — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Portuguese: recipiente — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Romanian: container — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Romanian: recipient — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Romanian: cutie — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Romanian: butelie — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Russian: конте́йнер (kontɛ́jner) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Russian: ёмкость (jómkostʹ) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Russian: та́ра (tára) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Russian: сосу́д (sosúd) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Russian: вмести́лище (vmestílišče) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Slovene: vsebnik — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Spanish: recipiente — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Spanish: envase — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Spanish: cuchumbo — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Swedish: behållare — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Swedish: kärl — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Tagalog: lalagyan — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Thai: บรรจุภัณฑ์ (ban-jù-pan) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Thai: หีบห่อ (hìip-hɔ̀ɔ) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Thai: ภาชนะ (paa-chá-ná) — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Tocharian B: tāsi — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Turkish: kap — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Turkish: konteyner — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Vietnamese: thùng — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Volapük: ninädian — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Zhuang: aen — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • ǃXóõ: ǃnàa — an item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported
  • Arabic: حَاوِيَة (ḥāwiya) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Armenian: կոնտեյներ (konteyner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Belarusian: кантэ́йнер (kantéjnjer) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Bulgarian: конте́йнер (kontéjner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Catalan: contenidor — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Chinese Mandarin: 集裝箱 /集装箱 (jízhuāngxiāng) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Chinese Mandarin: 貨櫃 /货柜 (huòguì) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Czech: kontejner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Dutch: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Dutch: vrachtcontainer — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Estonian: konteiner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Finnish: kontti — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • French: conteneur — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • French: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Georgian: კონტეინერი (ḳonṭeineri) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • German: Container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Greek: εμπορευματοκιβώτιο (emporevmatokivótio) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Hebrew: מיכל (meikhal) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Hindi: बक्सा (baksā) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Hungarian: konténer — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Indonesian: kontainer — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Italian: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Japanese: コンテナ (kontena) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Korean: 콘테이너 (konteineo) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Latvian: konteiners — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Macedonian: конте́јнер (kontéjner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Malay: kontena — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Mongolian: чингэлэг (čingeleg) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Mongolian: контейнер (kontejner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Mongolian: ᠴᠢᠩᠭᠡᠯᠢᠭ᠌ (činggelig) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Mongolian: ᠻᠣᠨ᠋ᠲ᠋ᠧᠶᠢᠨᠧᠷ (kontēyinēr) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Norman: cont'neux — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Norwegian Bokmål: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Norwegian Bokmål: konteiner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: konteinar — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Persian: کانتینر (kânteyner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Persian: بارگنج (bârgonj) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Polish: kontener — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Portuguese: contêiner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Portuguese: contentor — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Romanian: cutie — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Romanian: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Russian: конте́йнер (kontɛ́jner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Serbo-Croatian: контејнер — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Serbo-Croatian: kontejner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Slovak: kontajner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Slovene: vsebnik — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Slovene: kontejner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Slovene: zabojnik — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Spanish: contenedor — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Spanish: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Swahili: kontena — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Swedish: container — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Thai: คอนเทนเนอร์ — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Thai: ตู้คอนเทนเนอร์ — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Turkish: konteyner — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Ukrainian: конте́йнер (kontéjner) — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Vietnamese: công-te-nơ — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Vietnamese: côngtenơ — a very large, typically metal, box used for transporting goods
  • Estonian: konteiner — file format
  • Finnish: säiliömuoto — file format
  • Hungarian: konténer — file format
  • Hungarian: konténerfájl — file format
  • Hungarian: tárolófájl — file format
  • Polish: kontener — file format
  • Polish: pojemnik — file format
  • Estonian: konteiner — abstract data type
  • Finnish: kokoelma — abstract data type
  • French: conteneur — abstract data type
  • Polish: kontener — abstract data type
  • Polish: pojemnik — abstract data type
  • Finnish: säiliö — user interface component
  • Swedish: behållare — user interface component
Real reading context

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